Source: BBC News
Some of the world’s deepest-living sea creatures have been feeding on plastic for at least 40 years, according to new research.
Scientists examined archived specimens of animals collected more than 2,000m (6,561.8ft) down in the Rockall Trough off the Western Isles.
Traces of eight different plastics were found in the stomachs of the starfish, sea stars and brittle stars.
The creatures were collected between 1976 and 2015.
Polyester and nylon were among the plastics identified by the researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban.
The study has been published in Environmental Pollution, and follows SAMS research last year that suggested 48% of sampled starfish and snails from the Rockall Trough had eaten microscopic pieces of plastic.
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